The Man from Somewhere
by Vol lady
Summary: Two years after living with the Matthews family while suffering from amnesia, Jarrod is approached by Danny Matthews, who needs legal help. His father, missing for four years and believed dead, has turned up.
1. Chapter 1

The Man from Somewhere

Chapter 1

A young man got off the train in Stockton, carrying only a carpetbag, and for a moment stood on the platform, looking around. He didn't know anyone around him – until he saw the man he figured would be getting off the train, too. Sighing nervously, he walked to a very tall, thin man who looked like the station manager – at least had the white shirt and cap that made him look like a station manager. Speaking quietly, the young man said, "Excuse me, sir."

The station manager looked up from his clipboard. "How can I help you, son?"

"I'm looking for a man here in Stockton named Barkley," the young man said. "He's a lawyer."

"Uh, yes, Jarrod Barkley," the station manager said and pointed. "His office is right down the street on the left."

"Thank you," the young man said. He walked briskly in that direction the station manager indicated. He knew without looking that the man who had gotten off the train with him was following at a distance.

The young man found the office without any trouble, by the shingle hanging near the door. He went inside the building, comfortable that the man would not follow him in there, but nervous about the reception he would be getting here. Inside was a hallway, and another door – a double one – with another shingle hanging in the hallway. He stopped to knock but paused when he heard voices inside, yelling at each other.

"If you don't sue McAllister, I'll find a lawyer who will!"

"Nick, you can't go around suing people just because they don't agree with your idea of the property line. You need a survey, and that's gonna take time!"

"Then quit wasting it and go get it!"

"I will as soon as I can get this other mess you've handed me off my desk!"

"What mess? That contract is fine and dandy just the way it is."

"What about the arbitration clause?"

"What 'arbitration'?"

"Arbitration! Arbitration! Sign this, and you will be signing away any right you have to sue if the deal goes wrong! You'll be agreeing to let an arbitrator handle everything, and the way that arbitrator is to be chosen stinks!"

"Aaah!"

The young man heard heavy footsteps approaching and suddenly the left side of the door was pulled open. A big man in black with an unhappy face looked startled to see him there. The young man remembered Nick Barkley, but could tell Nick did not remember him.

"I'd like to see Mr. Barkley," the young man said.

"Please come in," Jarrod's voice, sounding weary but like it was trying not to be, came from inside the room.

Nick stood aside and motioned the young man in, but he did not leave, curious now as to who this was.

Jarrod was standing beside his desk. He looked at the young man, who was taking his hat off and tucking it under his arm. He looked vaguely familiar – and then very familiar.

The young man smiled and said, "Hello, Dakota."

"My God, Danny Matthews!" Jarrod said. For a moment he was just stunned, but then he reached out his hand to him, and a somewhat baffled smile came over him.

Danny Matthews took the hand of the man he knew as just Dakota.

"Let me look at you!" Jarrod said, taking a step back. Danny was much taller than Jarrod remembered and heavier, and his voice had deepened an entire octave, but Jarrod would have known him anywhere. His smile grew bigger and genuine. "Boy, you are a man now! Nick, I don't know if you remember this young man – "

"No, I don't," Nick said, but he extended a hand that Danny took.

"Danny and his mother and grandmother took care of me up near Rockville a couple years ago, when I got hurt and - lost myself for a week or so," Jarrod said.

Nick remembered that. He didn't like remembering it, but he did remember it. "Nice to see you again, Danny," Nick said.

Danny turned toward Jarrod and said, "Dakota – oh, I'm sorry, I've been telling myself all the way here to remember to call you Mr. Barkley."

Jarrod shook his head. "It's Dakota to you, Danny. Always will be."

"Thanks," Danny said. To Danny, it was more than a name. It was an acknowledgement that to Jarrod Barkley, his time as Dakota – a name Danny had given him – was still important to him. "I need your help. I don't have a lot of money, but you're the only one I could think of who might be able to help me."

"Sit down," Jarrod said.

Nick said, "I'll see you at home."

Jarrod nodded as Nick went out the door and closed it behind him.

Danny sat down in the chair in front of Jarrod's desk, and Jarrod sat on the edge of his desk. "What do you need help with? And don't worry about money. I'm the one who owes you and your mother and grandmother."

Danny shook his head. "Grandma passed away only a week after you left. She wouldn't get that arm wound seen by a doctor, and it got infected."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Danny shrugged. "She was stubborn. It went the way she wanted it to."

"How about your mother?"

Danny smiled. "She's great. A year ago, she met a farmer not too far from Sacramento and they got married six months ago. He's wonderful to her, and she's happier than I've ever seen her."

Jarrod remembered his last words with Libby. He made her promise she would never stop looking for a good life. He smiled to know she had found it. "I'm really glad to hear that."

"But that's what brings me here to you," Danny said. "Mr. Jennings – my mother's new husband – he's doing all right and has no children, so he and Ma sent me to school in San Francisco. They want me to have an education, and I'm really happy about that. I go to a boarding school that I really like and I usually go home to them four or five times a year."

"So what's the problem, Danny?"

"About a week ago a man came to the school. He said he was my father."

Jarrod straightened, remembering. Scott Matthews. He'd been gone from Rockville for two years when Jarrod had been there, and now it was more like four. "Is he your father?"

"I don't know, Dakota. I don't remember my father well enough. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but even if he is, why has he come back now? Where has he been?"

"Have you talked to him?"

"I don't know how, and I don't want to. He left my ma and my grandma and me and disappeared for years. I don't want him back."

"There are ways we can check on this man's story."

"It's a bigger problem than that. He's following me everywhere, probably thinking I'll lead him to Ma. He even followed me here!"

Jarrod stood up. "Here?"

"To Stockton, from San Francisco. Came on the same train I did!"

Jarrod walked to the window of his office that looked out onto the street. He kept to the side, trying not to be seen from the street, looking for any man who might be alone and waiting. "Danny, come here and stand behind me."

Danny got up and did as he was told.

"Do you see him now?" Jarrod asked.

"Yeah," Danny said. "That's him, across the street by the theater window."

"Go sit back down," Jarrod said and kept looking. The man didn't seem to have looked up at the window, but Jarrod expected him to do that at any moment. "Has he threatened you physically in any way?"

"No. He just won't go away, even though I keep asking him to."

Jarrod came back to the corner of the desk and sat down again. "Might be more complicated than that, Danny. If this is your father, your mother is still legally married to him. That would mean her marriage to Mr. Jennings isn't legal."

"Oh, no, I hadn't thought about that – "

"Don't worry about it yet," Jarrod said. "Let's take things one step at a time. Have you made plans about where to stay here?"

Danny shook his head. "I was hoping you'd help me find someplace."

"You'll stay with us at the ranch," Jarrod said and smiled. "My family will be glad to have you, and whoever this man is, he won't follow you there."

Jarrod grabbed his jacket and put it on, then put his hat on. He had not brought his gun to town but part of him wished he had, because he was not sure what was going to happen when he left the building with Danny. But that remained to be seen.

Danny got up.

Jarrod said, "My horse is at the livery. We'll get you a mount – I assume all that schooling in San Francisco hasn't made you forget how to ride."

Danny smiled. "You never forget that."

Jarrod laughed. "Even when I couldn't remember my name, I could remember how to ride, couldn't i?"

"Yes, sir, you could," Danny smiled.

"Don't worry, Danny," Jarrod said and clapped him on the arm. "We'll get things straightened out."

They went down to the street and walked up to the livery stable, where Jarrod got his horse and rented one for Danny. They rode out together. The man following Danny from San Francisco was standing there across the livery when they left.

Danny glanced at him but turned as they rode away. Jarrod gave the man a long hard look, and not just to impress his face on his memory. There was a threat there, too. He was not about to let this man ruin Libby Matthews's life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Mother!"

"Oh, Nick," Victoria said as she came in from the kitchen. Then she stopped. "I don't know why I keep bothering. You've been yelling at the top of your voice every time you come in the door since you were five years old –"

"And I'm too old to stop now," Nick said. "I need to talk to you. Are Heath and Audra here?"

"Right here, " Heath said as he and his sister came in from the library. "We could hear you too."

"Good," Nick said. "Come on into the living room. I have to tell you something."

Victoria grew anxious. "Has something happened with Jarrod?"

"No, no," Nick said. "Nothing like that." He turned toward Heath. "Remember Danny Matthews?" Nick asked him.

Heath thought. "Yeah, yeah, I do. That boy up in Rockville two years ago."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, well, he's in Stockton now. Came into Jarrod's office this afternoon."

"Wait a minute," Victoria said. And she dug through her own memory. "Rockville – Matthews – wasn't that the name of that woman who took Jarrod in when he was injured?"

"And lost his memory," Nick completed the thought. "This is her son, the boy Jarrod mentioned, the one we met for about five minutes."

"My goodness," Victoria said. "I wonder what he's doing in Stockton. Was his mother with him?"

"Not that I saw," Nick said, "but I didn't hang around to hear what he and Jarrod were talking about. I'd bet anything Jarrod will be bringing him home with him any time now."

"Well, we certainly have room for a houseguest," Victoria said.

"Jarrod told me about him," Audra said. "They took to each other pretty well."

Nick nodded. "He seems like a good kid. He's considerably bigger now and I'd bet anything he's brought a problem with him."

"What makes you say that?" Heath asked.

"He sure looked like he had something on his mind when he came to see Jarrod."

"Well, if he's seeing Jarrod professionally, then his business is none of our business," Victoria said.

"Unless he brings it here with him."

Victoria sighed. "Nick, you always expect the worst."

"Well, it seems to make things safer in the long run," Nick said, looking surly.

"Until a problem comes up, if Jarrod brings him home, we'll treat him like any other houseguest," Victoria said.

"There's one other thing," Nick said. "He calls Jarrod 'Dakota'."

"That's the name Jarrod said Danny gave him," Audra said, "when he couldn't remember his own."

"Well, he can call Jarrod whatever Jarrod says he can call him," Victoria said. "Now, since we're all together and dinner is not that far away, why don't we share some time and conversation? Heath, would you pour me some of our merlot?"

"My pleasure," Heath said.

Heath wasn't even finished pouring when the front door opened and Jarrod came in, with Danny in tow. The young man looked uncomfortable, despite Jarrod's attempts to keep things casual. "Hello, family," Jarrod said as he put his hat on the table near the door to the library. He took Danny's hat and bag and put them there as well, and then he headed for the living room, ushering Danny along with him.

"Hello, Jarrod," Victoria said. "Is this Danny Matthews?"

"He is indeed," Jarrod said. "Danny, this is my mother, my sister Audra, brother Nick you've already met and brother Heath you met when you first met Nick up in Rockville."

Danny politely shook hands all around.

"I know you've heard me talk about Danny before," Jarrod said. "He and his mother and grandmother saved my life."

Victoria said, "We're very grateful for how you took care of Jarrod. I'm glad we're able to thank you in person."

"I think Dakota – sorry, Mr. Barkley – gave us a lot of what we needed then, too," Danny said.

"You will be our guest for the night, Danny?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Barkley, I will," Danny said.

And the rest of the evening was spent in social pleasantries and good food and pleasure.

XXXXXXX

Jarrod made sure to get Danny settled in the guest room before he turned in for the night. As soon as he'd gotten to his own room and taken his jacket and tie off, there was a knock at his door that he fully expected. "Come in, Mother," he said.

Victoria came in. "Have I become that predictable?"

"Thoroughly," Jarrod said. "What's troubling you?"

"I'm a bit curious, why Danny has come here after all this time."

Jarrod shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't talk about that. He's a client, and I have to keep his confidences. But it's not a criminal case, so don't you go worrying about that."

"Good," Victoria said. And then she smiled and said, "Dakota."

Jarrod smiled again. "He's more comfortable calling me that, so I told him it was fine. It's how he knew me. It was another life ago. A lot of other lives ago."

"Yes, it actually was," Victoria said, remembering how many things had happened in just the past two years. "You never told me very much about that time."

"It was – difficult," Jarrod said, remembering, and his eyes showed that he was going back there in his mind. "They saved my life. They saved my sanity. They gave me a name and a life when I didn't have any. I haven't talked too much about it because – well, you know how it was when I got home. Still had a few holes in my head. For a while there, while I was trying to figure out who all of you were, who I was, where I fit in – I was part Jarrod Barkley and part Dakota. It was too tough to explain, and when I finally came back around to being all Jarrod Barkley, well, I just didn't want to talk about it."

"And to this day, there's still a small part of 'Dakota' in you, isn't there?"

Jarrod hadn't expected her to say that. "Yes, there is, especially lately. And I really don't want to give all of him up. I need him."

Victoria touched his arm. "Just be careful, Jarrod. You've had some hard times since you came back from Rockville. Don't retreat back into Dakota because being Jarrod Barkley has become difficult."

Jarrod said, "Danny was like a son to me, Mother. I may never have a son of my own. He and his mother helped me through a time in my life that was very hard. I believe I owe him and his mother some of my time and my professional expertise. They kept Dakota going until Jarrod found his way home. Maybe Jarrod can keep them going now, and if I have to call on Dakota to help, well, maybe there's still enough of him there to do it."

Victoria understood and nodded. "Will you be going out of town?"

"Well, I was going to talk to you about that. Do you think you could keep Danny here for a couple days?"

"I don't see why not. But why won't you take him with you?"

"I just need to go to Sacramento and I need Danny to stay here, away from Stockton. Don't let anyone know he's here and don't let anyone know where I've gone."

"Is someone after him?"

"Someone's been following him, and he needs a refuge. This man won't come here, and I don't think Danny's in any danger from him anyway but he's better off if he doesn't have to talk to him."

"We need to know something about the man, in case he does come here."

"Sandy-hair, my age, maybe a little shorter than I am. Clothes not well made and don't fit him that well. I don't think he'll come here, and Danny will certainly be able to tell it's him."

"And what if this man follows you instead?"

"Well, I'm planning to have a talk with him first. He may be only persistent, not malicious, but I'll take precautions. Just make sure Heath and Nick and Audra know to keep quiet about Danny, in case I don't get to talk to them in the morning."

"All right. Just you take care of yourself – and of Dakota."

Jarrod kissed her cheek. "Don't worry. We'll both be fine."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jarrod rode alone into town the next day, leading the horse he'd rented for Danny the day before. He returned that horse and left his at the livery stable, saying he'd be gone for a couple days, then walked to his office, carrying his small suitcase. As he did, he scanned the streets, looking for the man Danny had pointed out as his father.

And the man was there, across the street from Jarrod's office, just waiting. Jarrod decided to approach him. The man did not go away.

"I'd like to talk to you, Mr. Matthews," Jarrod said directly.

Scott Matthews just looked at him.

"I know you've been following Danny, and you know he came to see me yesterday," Jarrod continued. "Shall we have this conversation in my office? Maybe we can clear things up a bit."

Scott Matthews nodded, and Jarrod invited him to walk ahead of him.

They went to Jarrod's office, where he unlocked the door and they went in together.

Surprisingly, it was Matthews who started the conversation. "Why did my son come all the way here to Stockton to see you?"

Jarrod put his suitcase down on the floor near the door and took his hat off. "Because he knows me and he trusts me and he's hired me to deal with you. You've been following him when he doesn't want you to."

"I've got a right to," Matthews said. "He's a minor and he's my son."

"Sit down, let's talk about that," Jarrod said and sat down behind his desk. "First, let me see some identification that says you are who you say you are."

Matthews hesitated, but took his hat off and sat down in a chair in front of the desk. He gave Jarrod papers from his wallet. Jarrod read them. They were legitimate. Jarrod gave them back.

Jarrod said, "You've been gone for a long time, without a word about where you were."

"I was in prison," Matthews said bluntly.

That was a little startling. "Where?" Jarrod asked.

"New York. I'd gone there to raise money to back a gold mine I was planning for land my wife and I owned near Rockville. I got in with the wrong backer. He got what money I had access to, and he got me imprisoned on some trumped up charges. Took three years of my life before I was able to get the conviction overturned."

"Why didn't you write to your family?"

"And tell them I was in prison? I kept expecting my lawyer to get the conviction overturned, and after the months went by and I was still there – I figured they'd given me up for dead and maybe it was better that way."

Jarrod could empathize with that. There were times over the past couple years when he'd wondered a lot if it wouldn't be better for his family to think he was dead.

Jarrod leaned back in his chair. "Has Danny told you that Libby has married again?"

"Yes, but Libby is MY wife," Matthews said. "I had a lot of time to study the law while I was in prison. Legally, she is still my wife."

"She's very happy. Having you come into her life and claim her as your wife is going to be very disruptive."

"Look, I've lost four years of my life and the gold mine I was staking my life's work on," Matthews said, suddenly more hostile. "Danny won't have anything to do with me, so I've lost my son, too, unless I can get my wife back."

"Is that why you want her? Just so you'll have Danny? You might be able to win Danny over in another way."

"What way?"

"Grant Libby a divorce. Let her have her happiness. Danny's a smart and perceptive young man. He'll see that what you're doing is out of love for his mother. Maybe then he'll be more receptive to having you in his life."

"And if I don't want Libby just so I can have Danny? I still love my wife, Counselor. I want her to decide if she loves me, but I can't do that if I don't know where she is."

"Danny's afraid to go to her because you're following him."

"I don't know any other way to get to my wife."

"What if your wife doesn't want to see you?"

"How will she know if she doesn't see me?"

Jarrod's head was swimming around. This man was remarkably single-minded. "Mr. Matthews, I can't represent you because I represent Danny, and that would be a conflict of interest."

"I didn't ask you to represent me."

"I am trying to find out how you would feel if I were to go to Libby and explain to her what's happening. Would you agree to let me do that without following me?"

"No."

Jarrod rubbed his forehead. Matthews was blunt and determined, and Jarrod felt the black anger that had taken root deep inside him over the recent past rising up on him again. "Well, then," he said, standing up and trying hard to control himself. "I suppose our discussion is at an end, and I need to tell you if you continue to follow Danny or me, I will get a restraining order against you."

Matthews stood up. "I'll fight you on that, Counselor," he said, grabbing his hat, and he turned and went out.

Jarrod stayed standing, trying to manage his own desire to punch the man out. A few minutes of breathing more deeply and changing what he was thinking about gave him back some control.

Jarrod went to the telegraph office. He sent a message to a man who worked for the Pinkerton agency in San Francisco, a man he had used before to do background checks on certain people. He sent a simple message requesting a background check on this Scott Matthews, former inmate in the New York prison system.

When he left the telegraph office, he saw Scott Matthews across the street, so next Jarrod went to see Sheriff Madden.

"Jarrod," the sheriff greeting him. "How are you doing?"

Jarrod just nodded. "I'm fine, Fred. I need a favor from you."

"What's that?" Sheriff Madden asked.

"I need you to detain a man long enough for me to get on the train to Sacramento and the train to leave."

"Who?"

"His name is Scott Matthews. Take a look outside and you'll see him across the street."

Sheriff Madden went to his window a peeked out. He only saw one man he did not know. "Sandy hair? No handgun? Dark jacket?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"He's walking away from here."

"I guess my coming to see you has thrown a scare into him."

"I need a legitimate reason to detain him, and won't he figure out where you've gone anyway?"

"Not if you keep him here, inside, long enough. He'll have to guess between the train or the possibility that I just rode out somewhere."

"Who's going with you?"

"Nobody. I'll be fine, if you can keep Matthews here."

Sheriff Madden scowled. He wanted more than anything to help Jarrod, but, "Jarrod, what the heck am I going to bring him in on? I can't just go dragging people in off the street."

Jarrod thought about it carefully. "Just questioning."

"About what?"

Jarrod felt that anger rising up again, and he tried to fight it down, but it showed. "About following me! He followed his son here, and the boy came to see me. He's safe out at the ranch now and out of reach, but since then, Matthews has been my shadow, all day."

The Sheriff got up and put his gunbelt on. "The train leaves in half an hour. Even if I have him here, he'll figure out you got on."

"But he won't know where I got off if he's not on the train with me. I'll ask Chad to keep his mouth shut about where I've gone. I know he'll do it – he's scared to death of me anymore. And even if Matthews guesses where I've gone, he'll have to find me in Sacramento. By the time he does, if he ever does, I'll have finished my business there and he won't know where I've been."

"All right. Get going. I'll follow after a bit and find Matthews and pick him up when he follows you."

"Thank you, Fred," Jarrod said and went out.

Half an hour later, Jarrod got on the train to Sacramento. Matthews was nowhere in sight.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The train arrived in Sacramento in a bit over four hours, and Jarrod got off there. Danny had told him how to reach the Jennings farm. Jarrod got a room at a hotel and went there long enough to leave his bag and clean up a little. He took off his tie and jacket and rode out the Jennings farm in his shirtsleeves. He just thought showing up in a suit would be a little startling to Libby; she had never seen him like that.

As he rode, he remembered his time with her. He had long ago forgiven her for not telling him she had found out who he was, even though it had nearly resulted in him killing the two brothers he didn't recognize. She had helped him a lot more than she had hurt him.

The truth was, he liked the time he spent with her and Danny. He felt comfortable, despite the dangerous trouble they were battling. They were battling it together. And even though he was so focused on finding out who he was that he never fell in love with her, he knew now that he could have. If he had never found out who he was, he could have spent a happy life with her and Danny.

He thought about his late wife, Beth. It sure would have been a lot better for her if he had spent his life with Libby. She never would have met Jarrod Barkley, and she'd be alive now in Denver.

He shook those thoughts away when the Jennings house came into view. It was a clean, two-story home, with flowers in front of the porch and chickens running around the yard. There were large fields of crops on the property, too. By all appearances, Libby had found the home and husband she deserved.

Jarrod rode up to the door to hitch his horse to the hitching post there. Chickens clucked and fled as he dismounted, and a dog hiding beside the house barked a warning. Libby came out of the front door.

Jarrod was immediately struck by how beautiful she looked. She wasn't dressed that much differently than she dressed when he knew her – this was a farm, after all – but there was a radiance to her face that hadn't been there before. She was clearly comfortable now, and content. He took his hat off and stepped up onto the porch.

She looked at him curiously at first, but then, as she recognized him, she looked startled. "Dakota! I mean, Mr. Barkley!"

Jarrod smiled. "Dakota will do just fine. How are you, Libby?"

"I'm – fine, but what are you doing here? How in the world did you ever find me?"

"May I come in? I need to talk to you about Danny."

"Danny? Oh, yes, please, come on in."

She led the way back through the front door and into a large living room with comfortable furniture. A big kitchen was off to the left, and a solid stairway led up to the second floor. Next to the stairway was a hall that led to a back door, and as a cat ran up the stairs, a man came in through that door.

"Oh, Dakota, this is my husband, Michael Jennings," Libby said.

"Mr. Jennings," Jarrod said in greeting.

Michael was in work clothes and his hands were dirty. "Sorry, I've been out in the cornfield," he said. "Forgive me while I wash my hands."

"Certainly," Jarrod said as Michael went into the kitchen to wash up. Then quietly, to Libby, he said, "You may want to speak to me alone. It's about Scott."

"Scott?" she said, and looked like she was going to faint. "Scott is dead!"

Jarrod shook his head.

Libby turned toward the kitchen and said so Michael could hear, "Michael – Dakota is here about Scott."

"Your first husband?" Michael said as he came back into the living room. "I thought he was dead."

"So did I, but Dakota says he isn't," Libby said, and she sank into an armchair.

It was clear to Jarrod that these people had a comfortable and happy marriage, and that he was going to ruin it. "May I sit down?" he asked.

Michael motioned to another armchair.

Jarrod sat. "Danny came to me yesterday and said a man claiming to be his father had come to him at school. He said he told the man to leave him alone, but he kept following him everywhere. He followed Danny to Stockton, to my office. Danny asked for my help in sorting this out."

"Where is Danny?" Libby asked quickly.

"He's safe, with my family," Jarrod said. "Scott didn't follow Danny there and didn't follow me here. He's still in Stockton, as far as I know."

"Are you sure this man really is who he says he is?" Michael asked and stayed standing beside Libby.

"He has the proper papers, but I'm having him checked out by a private investigator. Libby, I don't like to be the bearer of bad news, but if he checks out, if he is Scott, then he is still legally your husband."

"Oh, my God," Libby moaned.

"You mean, we wouldn't be legally married?" Michael asked.

Jarrod nodded. "That's what it means."

"Where in heaven has he been?!" Libby suddenly exploded. "It's been four years without a word! If this is Scott, why didn't he come home? Why didn't he write to us? How could he have just abandoned us for four years?"

Jarrod reached for her hand and took it. "He says he fell in with the wrong kind in New York while he was trying to get backers for the gold mine. He says he was jailed and spent all this time trying to get released. When he finally was released, he came out here and somehow found out about the school where Danny was."

"Does he know where I am?"

"No. He doesn't know that. Libby, this can all be set right legally if you get a divorce, but I have to tell you, I've talked to the man, and he doesn't seem inclined to give you or Danny up. He's very intent on getting you back."

Libby leaned back in the chair, her hand on her forehead. Her world was spinning around.

Michael put his hand on her shoulder, and Jarrod withdrew his hand out of politeness.

"Libby, we'll work this out," Michael said.

"I don't want Scott to come here," Libby said. "I want to go to Stockton to talk to him."

"Then we'll go to Stockton," Michael said.

Jarrod said, "The next train isn't until tomorrow."

"We'll be on it," Michael said.

"You can't leave the farm," Libby said. "We have animals to feed and eggs to collect and a cow to milk –"

"Libby, if you still trust me, you can come back to Stockton and to Danny and both of you can stay with my family while we clear this up," Jarrod said.

"Wait just a minute," Michael said. "I don't know anything about you, Mister – whoever you are. Libby seems to know you, but all I know is the name Dakota and you don't look like a man with that kind of name to me. Who the heck are you?"

"He's a friend, a very good friend," Libby said. "His name isn't Dakota - that just the name Danny gave him because he found him at Dakota Flats, on our property near Rockville."

"What is your name?" Michael asked.

"Jarrod Barkley," Jarrod said. "I'm an – "

"You're an attorney," Michael said. "I've seen your name in the papers. You've done things with the government in town."

Jarrod nodded.

"How do you come to know Libby and Danny?"

"Two years ago I went to Rockville to talk to Libby about a land dispute. We didn't know each other. I had an accident on the way in, on her property. Hit my head, knocked me out, and I woke up not remembering a thing about myself. Libby took me in. I worked for her, Danny and I worked together, and since I didn't know my name, Danny named me Dakota. He still calls me that."

Libby smiled a little. "That's who you'll always be to us, I guess."

"And that's fine by me," Jarrod said. Then he looked at Michael, then back at Libby. "And I think the two of you need time to talk about this privately, so I'll go."

"Where can we reach you?" Michael asked.

Jarrod stood up. "I'm at the Capitol House in Sacramento. Will you contact me there first thing tomorrow morning, before the train is scheduled to leave if you can?"

Michael nodded. "What time is that?"

Jarrod said, "The train leaves at nine-twenty. If you need longer to decide, take it. I'm ready to stay here for a few days if need be. Libby, I'm sorry to have to come to you with this, but it needs to be settled."

Libby looked up. "Is Scott dangerous?"

Jarrod said, "I don't think so, but honestly, I don't know. But if you decide to come to Stockton with me, I promise that you and Danny will be well protected and taken care of."

"That's going to cost money, isn't it?" Michael asked.

Jarrod shook his head. "Two years ago, your wife and stepson saved my life. They took me in and gave me a name and a life when I didn't have anything. I'll take care of protecting Libby and Danny, and I'll take care of having this man investigated. I have the means, and I'll take care of them."

"I'll know it's him or not the minute I look at him," Libby said.

"Let's talk about that," Michael said.

Jarrod nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

XXXXXXX

Jarrod spent the evening at one of the saloons he liked in town. He ate a decent dinner, but then mostly he just sat at a table alone, drinking scotch and thinking too much. The more he drank, the deeper he thought, and that was no good.

He thought about Rockville and then he thought about his wife Beth and Rimfire. When his memory put those together, his thoughts went to a place they'd only gone once or twice since Rimfire – he thought of the priest in Rockville, where he'd gone searching for his name when he couldn't remember what it was. He remembered telling the priest he needed to know what he was, as well as who he was. He remembered telling him that he needed to know if he belonged in a church or in jail.

And now he knew. How many charges could they – and should they – have brought against him in Rimfire? Attempted murder? Assault? Assault with a deadly weapon? Aggravated assault? Bribing a public official? He belonged in San Quentin, and it was only by the grace of the Rimfire sheriff that he wasn't there.

That led him straight to that dark, terrible place where his anger and his shame combined and sent him spinning out of control. He looked at his hands, and thought too much about what they'd done. But then he stopped. He at least had the sobriety to realize that he had been drinking too much and would only get into trouble if he stayed here in a saloon.

He went back to his room, and thought about Beth and Libby and all the ways his life could have gone differently. He fell asleep wishing Beth were beside him again, wishing he could just dream that she was. But he didn't.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jarrod ran into the Jenningses in the lobby of his hotel as he was coming back from breakfast the next morning. Libby was dressed to travel and carrying a carpetbag. She and Michael both looked very nervous.

Jarrod smiled as easy a smile as he could muster, to help them feel better. "Well, I guess you've made your decision."

"How long you think you'll be gone?" Michael asked.

"Probably no more than overnight," Jarrod said. "I'll escort your wife home tomorrow, and if there's a delay for any reason, I'll wire you."

Libby looked unhappy and worried. Jarrod couldn't blame her. Her entire life was hanging by a thread at the moment. He knew all too well how that felt.

To Michael, he said, "You can reach me care of the Barkley ranch in Stockton if you need to. My mother and sister and brothers are there looking after Danny now. Libby will be there overnight, too."

Michael nodded.

"The train will be leaving in about forty-five minutes," Jarrod said.

Libby turned toward her husband. "You best be getting on home. There's work to do."

He kissed her and then held her close. She closed her eyes, comforted by his embrace. Jarrod was very happy for her, and very sorry to be upsetting her life like this.

Michael said, "You watch out for my family," and left. Soon they looked through the hotel windows and saw him driving away in his wagon.

And they were alone, for the first time in two years. They both felt the awkwardness of the situation.

"May I buy you some coffee?" Jarrod asked. "The train depot has a little café."

Libby nodded.

"You wait here while I get my suitcase," Jarrod said.

He went upstairs and quickly got his things together. When he came back down, Libby was sitting nervously in a chair in the lobby. Jarrod quickly checked out, then helped her up and picked up her carpetbag. Carrying her bag under his arm and his in his hand, and holding her carefully by the arm with his other hand, they left together and went to the train depot.

He bought tickets for them, and they went to the little café there, where he found a table for them and bought some coffee. Libby had hardly looked at him the whole time, but as they sat across from one another, it was hard to keep that up.

"I guess you've recovered completely from your – accident now," she said.

Jarrod nodded. "It took some time, but yes, I've recovered. Over the years, I've come to realize how much I really owe you for taking care of me."

"Oh," she said, "we were responsible for you being hurt. Of course, we'd take care of you."

"I'm grateful, nevertheless. And I'm truly happy for you now."

Libby smiled. "Michael is a wonderful man. I don't know how I ever deserved him."

"I do," Jarrod said. "You're a kind and a strong woman. You promised me you'd never stop looking for a better life, and you never did."

"And you? Did you ever find someone?"

Jarrod let his gaze fall and his smile fade. "I did. I'm a widower."

"Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry."

Jarrod didn't know how much to tell her and decided not to say anything more. "Life happens the way it happens. I'm just glad it's been good to you, and I'm sorry to bring you this trouble."

She nodded, and said, "But if anyone can help me out of it, I know it's you."

Jarrod decided to change the subject. "Danny's turned into a fine young man."

"Yes, he has, hasn't he?" Libby said, smiling. "There's a little bit of you to thank for that."

"Me?"

"You came to us at a time when he was really in need. You helped him understand his father was gone, and you helped fill the void. He was sad when you left, but not devastated. He understood. He kept his happy memories of the time you were with us and he's used them to grow up with. When I met Michael, he was ready for me to meet him and to have a new father." She let her words drift off. "How do you think we can deal with Scott?"

"Legally, there are ways," Jarrod said, "but there's more to it than the legal problems. Are you sure you're over him, Libby?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not sure. I think I am. I know I love Michael and I want to spend my life with him, but if I see Scott and I still love him – I don't know what I'm going to do."

Jarrod felt terrible that she was being so torn up inside. He reached for her hand. "Whatever happens, whatever you feel, please know that I'm here for you. I will be your attorney in this, and your friend, and Danny's friend. We will work it out."

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I guess Danny picked exactly the right man to knock off his horse back in Rockville."

"Smart boy," Jarrod said.

XXXXXXX

It didn't seem like very long before the train stopped in Stockton, and Jarrod helped Libby down to the platform. He was holding both their bags and scanning the platform for Scott Matthews as he did. He didn't see Matthews.

"We'll go to my office," Jarrod said. "We might see Scott in the street. Are you up to that?"

"I'm up to whatever I need to be," Libby said.

"It's a short walk," Jarrod said.

He took her by the arm and held her securely. He looked everywhere as he walked, and finally, as they reached his office, he spotted Scott Matthews. He was standing across the street, obviously waiting for Jarrod, but he looked genuinely startled to see Libby with him.

"Libby – " Jarrod said.

She followed his gaze across the street, to the man who was approaching them now. "Oh, my God, it's him," she said and went weak.

Jarrod held onto her. Matthews came running and supported her from the other side.

"Libby, I'm sorry," he kept saying, over and over.

Libby just kept shaking her head.

"Let's get her inside," Jarrod said.

Supported by the two of them, she made it into Jarrod's office. Jarrod dropped their bags inside the door, and they took Libby to a chair in front of his desk. Matthews pulled up another chair, and Jarrod fetched Libby some water, put fresh there by his assistant Leslie, who tended the office every morning for him.

She sipped at it twice before putting the glass down on Jarrod's desk. Jarrod sat on the edge of his desk, between Libby and Matthews. As he sat down, he noticed a telegram on his desk, on top of some mail Leslie had left. He picked up the telegram and quickly read it.

Matthews leaned forward and took Libby's hands. She looked at him awkwardly and tried to withdraw them, but he held on. "Libby, I'm sorry," he repeated again.

"Sorry?" she finally spoke. "Four years, Scott! Four years without a word, and you're sorry?!"

Jarrod put the telegram back on the pile of mail. It was from his contact at Pinkerton's. Matthews's story about being in prison was true, and he was released when he was proven innocent. If only he'd been lying. That would have made everything easier.

"I couldn't – I was in prison, and it was a trumped up charge, and I was fighting it every minute and I was afraid to tell you what had happened – "

"That's not good enough!" Libby cried, tears streaming down her face. "I waited for you! I fought ranchers to keep the land and the Secora Ledge! Your mother was shot fighting them and she died from infection! We held on with everything we had, and you didn't even write to us!"

Matthews sat back in the chair, dazed.

Jarrod said, "That was when I met your wife and son. I was coming to talk to Libby about the dispute with the ranchers when I was injured and lost my memory. Libby took me in and took care of me until I recovered. I want you to bear all that in mind and know that I will do everything I can possibly do to make sure Libby is happy and safe."

Matthews looked up at him. "I don't want to hurt Libby. She's my wife."

"No, I'm not!" Libby cried. "You abandoned us when we needed you most! I am Mrs. Michael Jennings! I intend to stay Mrs. Michael Jennings, whatever it takes!"

"Libby, please – "

"Scott, I ought to hate you but I don't. I just want you to stay out of our lives. That was your choice, not ours, but we've been so much better off without you. Please, leave me and Danny alone."

"You heard the lady," Jarrod said.

"She's still my wife," Matthews said.

"She wants a divorce, and I'll get it for her. Abandoning her for four years are grounds all by themselves, so if you fight it, you will lose."

Matthews got up in a huff, nearly toppling the chair he was sitting in, and stormed out of the office.

Libby broke down into sobs. Jarrod quickly bent in front of her and took her into his arms. "Dakota – " she kept saying. "Dakota – "

"I won't leave you," he said. "I won't let you down."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jarrod rented a buggy at the livery and took Libby home with him, Matthews watching from across the street every minute. Jarrod was half concerned that Matthews would follow them, but if he did, Jarrod didn't spot him. Jarrod was sure that once at the ranch, Libby would be safe, and when they drove under the sign that bordered Barkley property, he breathed easier.

By the time he pulled the buggy up to the house, Libby had gotten control of herself and stopped crying. She was fine as he lifted her out, but went to pieces again as soon as the front door popped open and Danny came hurrying out.

"Ma!" he said and he came and held her close.

So much like a man now, Jarrod thought. He was comforting her. It wasn't the other way around.

Heath came out and took the bags out of the buggy.

"I thought you'd be out with the herd," Jarrod said.

"Paperwork," Heath said. "Nick and I tossed a coin for it. I lost."

Jarrod put his arm around Libby and escorted her into the house.

Victoria met them there, saying, "Hello. I'm Jarrod's mother."

"Libby Jennings," Libby said.

Heath took the bags upstairs, and Victoria and Danny walked Libby that way. She glanced back at Jarrod, but he smiled to reassure her, and soon they had disappeared into one of the guest rooms.

Jarrod was left alone for a few minutes, so he poured himself some scotch and sat down in one of the armchairs in the living room. It wasn't long before Heath came down and joined him.

"Mother's getting Mrs. Matthews – sorry, Mrs. Jennings settled," Heath said.

"Where's Audra?" Jarrod asked.

"Out riding. How are you?"

"Me? I'm fine. Why?"

"This whole thing has to be raising up some bad memories for you."

Jarrod took a swallow of scotch. "Only one – nearly killing you."

Heath remembered that moment vividly, when Libby had lied about who he and Nick were and Jarrod shot like crazy at them. Then he made it into the house and Jarrod tackled him and grabbed his gun and was within an inch of shooting him.

When he stopped. The eagle pattern on the gun handle had caused something to snap. One moment Jarrod had no idea who Heath was and the next, he remembered. Thank God, in time, he remembered.

"Yeah," Heath said. "That kind of puts a scare in me, too."

Jarrod shook his head. "I had absolutely no idea who you were. You were a complete stranger trying to kill me, That was all I knew. And then – I saw your gun – everything became a mess in my head. I didn't know what I knew and what I didn't know, except I finally knew you. And with what happened in Rimfire –

"Jarrod, let it go. Just let it go."

Jarrod shook his head. "Ah, Heath, I never did apologize for what happened."

"Apologize? What the heck for?"

"For nearly killing you. In Rockville. In Rimfire."

"You're forgiven for both of them, and that's that," Heath said. "Now, how are you gonna handle Mrs. Jennings up there?"

"The only thing I can do is help her do the legally proper thing."

Jarrod believed she would do it – file for divorce from Matthews and remarry Jennings. But he would have to tell her that that would have to be done in Sacramento, where she was living, and that would mean Matthews would find out where she was living. That would expose her and Danny and Michael to whatever kind of man Matthews was going to turn out to be. Would she do it in the face of that threat?

Jarrod wished he could talk this over with Heath, but there was no way he could and not be breaking the biggest rule lawyers had – you don't discuss your client's problems with anyone but the client. There were so many times he ran up against that, so many secrets he had to keep, so many decisions he had to make with no one's input but his own.

He rubbed his forehead.

"Better quit thinking about it for now," Heath said. "You're giving yourself a headache."

Jarrod said. "You're right. No more thinking about it tonight, just a good dinner and uncomplicated conversation."

"Best kind," Heath said.

XXXXXXX

After dinner, Libby made her way out onto the front terrace. She liked to take walks after dinner, to feel the fresh air, but this wasn't home and she did not trust herself to wander into the yard. This place was too big. There were too many men coming and going, even after dark. She decided to stay with the air on the porch.

Jarrod came looking for her and found her. "Hello," he said, quietly coming up next to her.

She smiled nervously. "Hello."

Jarrod said, "This reminds me a little of the time you found me on your front porch, after I had that nightmare and wandered out there to shake it off."

"Nightmares. They always have some reality attached to them, don't they?"

"Ours have. You helped me through mine. I'll help you through yours."

Libby looked at Jarrod for a moment, then let her gaze fall. "I had real feelings for you then."

"I know," Jarrod said. "I was too occupied with my own problems to let me feel anything other than scared."

"I knew that. You were scared and angry. Like I am now."

Me too, he wanted to say. "You're not alone in this, Libby. I won't leave you any more than you left me."

"I know. But my life has just – flipped in the air again. It's almost like I'm fighting that old battle all over again, only this time it's the man I used to love throwing the burning torches into the barn and on my house." She was silent for a moment, then asked, "Dakota – what's going to be involved in me getting a divorce from Scott?"

Jarrod had been hoping to save this discussion for the daylight. Having it in the darkness only made it more frightening. "Papers to sign and file with the court, then having them served on Scott. The papers would have to be filed where you live."

"Scott will know where I live?"

"Yes."

Libby took a deep breath. "And what if Scott won't take the papers?"

"If we can't get service, it just makes the process take longer. Ideally, we'd arrange for him to accept them and not contest the divorce, but the way things look at the moment, he won't do that."

"What if I don't get the divorce? What if we can just talk Scott into going away?"

"Then your marriage to Michael won't be valid. After a certain period of time, you could get a divorce without involving Scott, but that takes time. How much, I'm not sure, I'd have to check, but it would be years."

Libby heaved a sigh. "I wish there were a way to get Scott to accept what is. I don't love him anymore. I could never love him again. He was never a vindictive man before, and the man he is now – I just don't want him anywhere in my life."

Jarrod knew too damned well what could happen to a man when life was tearing him up. He knew too damned well a man who had never been violent could turn that way. "I'm sure going to prison has changed him," Jarrod said. "It has to have changed him. But so far he hasn't shown any signs of being violent."

"Being without him has changed me too, Dakota. I'm not the woman he married. Danny isn't the little boy he left four years ago. If we could just get him to see that – "

"Why don't you let me talk to him again tomorrow? He's had time to think over our conversation today. He'll have slept on it. Maybe there's something of the man who loved you still there."

"Maybe," Libby said thoughtfully. Then she looked up at Jarrod. "Have you ever thought about what might have happened – no, nevermind."

Jarrod struggled with whether to finish the thought, but said, "If my brothers had never found me? If you and I had somehow stayed together? I have thought about it. I thought about it a lot when I first got back to my life here. My memory had lots of holes for weeks. I even thought about turning around and going back to you and Danny a couple times."

Libby looked surprised, both that he actually felt that way and that he was admitting it to her.

Jarrod smiled just a little. "It wasn't meant to be. You and Michael were meant to be."

Libby smiled. "Yes, we were. I love him in a way I never loved Scott. Please, Dakota, help me put my life back together."

Jarrod nodded. "I will. I'll do everything I can to see you keep the life you deserve."

She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "Maybe we were never meant to be together the way I thought I wanted then, but somehow I think we were meant to be together as friends. I never had a brother. If I did, I like to think he'd have been like you."

Jarrod pulled her close into a one-armed hug. "I like that."

They were not aware that Danny had overheard almost all of their conversation. It didn't disturb him at all, but it did make him think about his father. It did make him want to try to do something to ease the pressure his mother was under – that Dakota was under – and he thought he knew what that could be.

With the others in the house being distracted with one thing or another, Danny had no trouble slipping out into the barn, saddling a horse, and quietly going into Stockton.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Danny knew he was underage but figured he could probably pass, so he went to the saloon, where he thought his father would be. He was right. Scott Matthews sat alone at a table in the back, nursing a beer. He looked up when Danny came to the other side of the table and stood there. Matthews was surprised and stood up.

"I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me," Matthews said.

"I didn't," Danny said, "until Ma came. Now I have to. I want to talk to you about – everything."

Matthews gestured to a chair. "Sit down."

They both sat.

"Do you drink?" Matthews asked.

Danny shook his head. "I don't want anything to drink. I just want to talk."

"About your ma?"

"About you. Where have you been, Pa? Why did you leave us and not come back?"

There was a catch in Danny's voice that said out loud that he was asking questions he'd had bottled up for years. Matthews found he had to swallow and hang his head. "I was in prison. I was innocent and got railroaded and lost all my money, but I got a lawyer to help me out and we worked on it together, and I got out a couple months ago. I came straight out here."

"Why didn't you write? We looked and looked and there was never even a letter! We thought you were dead!"

"Sometimes you think it's better if the people you love think you're dead. When I got out, I knew it was a stupid thing to do, but while I was in prison – I was just so – ashamed, Danny. I couldn't face you. I couldn't bear the thought of you knowing I was in prison. And I thought I'd be getting out a lot faster than I did."

Danny leaned back in his chair. "Didn't you know Ma couldn't wait forever? Didn't you know how lonely she was? Didn't you know how lonely for you I was?"

"Yes! I knew, I knew!" Matthews slammed his fist on the table so hard that everybody in the place looked up. With no damage being done, the bartender left him alone. "I was a fool! I threw away everything I had over a – pipedream about some gold vein that was never really there! I was a fool."

"So what do you expect us to do now?" Danny asked. "Ma is married to somebody else, and she's happy. How can you expect things to be the way they were?"

Matthews stood up fast and began to walk away, but then he stopped and came back. He sat down again at the table. "I didn't expect. I hoped. I guess I hoped wrong."

Danny said, "Yeah, you hoped wrong, Pa. And you can't go being mad about it, not mad at us. I remember, before you left, you used to take me fishing, and you showed me how to hold the rod and pull the big one in. You taught me how to ride a horse, how to saddle one and groom one. You were kind to me, Pa. You loved me, and now you don't love me anymore."

Matthews looked him in the eyes. "I do love you, Danny. I just – I just don't know – "

"You haven't even once said you're sorry, Pa."

Matthews was at the point that he didn't know what to say or do. He shook his head and just said, "I am sorry."

Danny didn't see the three Barkley brothers come in the door behind him, but Matthews did. He straightened in his chair. He started to get up, but Jarrod came up to the table while Nick and Heath stood by the bar. Jarrod held up his hand, and Matthews sat back down. At least the man was not drunk, Jarrod thought. At least he'd understand what was going on.

Jarrod sat down beside Danny, who looked startled. "Danny, have you said to your father what you came to say?" Jarrod didn't really know what Danny had come to say, but he had a feeling.

Danny shook his head.

"Why don't you go ahead and say it?"

Danny looked hesitant.

Jarrod said, "It's all right. Go ahead."

Dakota was here, by his side. Danny felt braver just for him being there. He looked at his father and said, "Pa, I would like to understand you. I'd like to talk more to you. I'd like to believe that you won't hurt me again, or Ma. I'd like to believe you'd let her be happy for once. And if you leave her be happy, and let me get to know you again, in San Francisco, nowhere else. If you give her the divorce, I'll be happy to let you come talk to me and for us to get to know each other again, in San Francisco, if you give her the divorce."

Matthews hung his head.

Jarrod asked, "Danny, you're sure this is what you want?"

Danny nodded. "It IS what I want. I want to know my pa again, but only if he's willing to let my ma go. You gotta be willing to do that, Pa."

Jarrod said, "Your son is a man now, Scott. He's made his own decision on this. You should consider it carefully. It's not every man God gives a son like Danny."

Matthews looked at Jarrod, then at his son, then back at Jarrod again. "You draw up the papers, Counselor. I'll agree to the divorce. Tell Libby – tell Libby, I just want her to be happy."

Jarrod smiled. "I can have the forms ready in a couple hours. You sign them tonight, I'll have Libby sign them in the morning and I'll file them tomorrow. Then you and Danny can go back to San Francisco whenever you like."

"Tomorrow?" Matthews asked, looking at Danny.

Danny nodded. "Tomorrow."

Danny got up from the table then, and Jarrod did, too. As they walked out together, Jarrod could see his younger brothers were keeping an eye on Matthews, who had not budged. Nick and Heath followed them out of the saloon.

When they got out into the street, Jarrod put his hand on the back of Danny's neck.

"You're absolutely sure about what you're doing?" Jarrod asked.

Danny nodded. "I am. When you came to us, Dakota, I needed a pa, and you were a pa for me. I need my own real pa now, or at least I need to try to get to know him. And if I can do that and get my ma what she needs too, well I'm gonna do that."

"Just remember, if you need me, I'll be right here."

"I know."

Jarrod gave him a slap on the back. "You go on home with Nick and Heath. I'm gonna go draw up those divorce papers and get your father's signature."

"You sure you'll be all right alone with him, Jarrod?" Nick asked.

Jarrod nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Tell Mother I'll be very late. Danny, I'll let you talk to your mother and tell her what's happened. If she has any questions, I'll talk to her when I get home, or first thing in the morning. Tell her we'll head to Sacramento tomorrow."

Danny nodded, and he went to his horse and mounted. Nick gave Jarrod a pat on the back as he and Heath also mounted up. Danny, Nick and Heath rode off together.

Jarrod watched. He started to think about what might have been again, but shook it off. He let his gaze fall for a moment, then headed over to his office.

XXXXXX

When Libby said good-bye to her son the next day, it was without Matthews being around. Danny just kissed her as she got on the train to Sacramento with Jarrod. She told him to take care of himself, and he promised he would, before he went back into town to look for his father.

Jarrod and Libby did not talk much on the trip to Sacramento. Libby dozed, her head falling on Jarrod's shoulder. He didn't mind. He let his thoughts drift back to the time they had together in Rockville. He remembered waking up to her pressing a damp cloth to his forehead. He remembered her patience with him as he tried to figure out who he was and what was happening. He remembered her soft touch on his arm when he came back from days of searching that proved absolutely fruitless. He did not think long about how she had kept the truth from him for one short time that nearly proved disastrous, because it didn't. What he mainly remembered that he was going out of his mind with fear, and she kept him sane.

Now and then, though, as the train rumbled along he wished she were Beth. A couple times he looked over and willed her to be Beth, but of course, she wasn't. In the end, Jarrod simply accepted her for who she was, a friend who had saved his life once and whose life he was saving now.

As the train jerked to a stop in Sacramento, Libby woke up. "Oh – are we here?"

"We're here," Jarrod said.

He got up and helped Libby up. He got his bag and hers down from the overhead rack and followed her out to the platform. There were a lot of people there – and Michael was one of them.

Libby ran to him beaming. They kissed and held each other for a long time. Jarrod kept a discreet distance, but he did hear her say to him, "It's over. Dakota and Danny took care of everything."

Michael held his hand out to Jarrod, and Jarrod shook it. "Mostly Danny," Jarrod said. "I just do the paperwork."

"You got the divorce?" Michael asked.

Jarrod said, "We got the divorce. I'll file the papers now, but it will be a while before the final decree comes out. You should wait until then to remarry. And, if you decide you'd like a honeymoon away, the Barkley family has a lovely lodge in the mountains we'll be thrilled to have you borrow."

Libby smiled and laughed. Jarrod realized he had never heard her laugh before. It was beautiful.

"Will you stay with us overnight?" Michael asked.

Jarrod shook his head, "No, thank, you, I have a room at the Capitol House reserved. I think you two need some time alone together tonight."

Libby unexpectedly leaned toward Jarrod and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for everything, Dakota."

Jarrod tipped his hat. "My pleasure."

He handed Michael Libby's bag and watched them go off together, arms around each other, two people deeply and perfectly in love.

He remembered what it was like, and for the first time in a long time, as he thought about love, he smiled.


End file.
